Devon John Mathis is an American politician serving as a member of the California State Assembly from the 26th District, which include parts of the Central Valley.
We must use real science to defeat the Coronavirus and re-open California. That means looking at our vast state, understanding that there are enormous differences, offering different solutions for different places, and giving locals a real voice in deciding how to move forward. One size doesn’t fit all.
The impact of the virus has been devastating to the finances of many Californians. We need to get people back to work, and make sure that small businesses are kept afloat in the meantime. We must start allowing locals to develop and implement their own, responsible plans to re-open. We need a real plan to get students back to school so parents can actually go back to work. I’ll also fight any new tax increases that Sacramento politicians are already discussing – times are hard enough Sacramento needs to tighten its belt as much as the rest of us have had to.
It’s time we get our water back that the politicians in Sacramento have been mismanaging. We need to stop sending needed water out into the ocean. We need to start finding new sources of water, putting into place storage methods, and addressing misuse. Lack of water is causing a loss of jobs and higher prices for our food. We need to find actual solutions to this problem – not ones that have failed time and again.
Our schools, children, and teachers need some serious help. We need to restore our education system. This helps lead to a better-educated work force and lower crime rates. We need to protect our children from slipping through the cracks. We need to get back to the days where parents and teachers work together. We also need to take care of children with special needs. As a father of a child with autism, I know the pain of sitting in an Individualized Education Program meeting and being told that my son is struggling.
Pro 2nd Amendment? Yes and amen! One of my favorite quotes was given to the Japanese Emperor during WWII, “You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass” – Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Coming from the Army National Guard, I believe that we should uphold our 2nd Amendment rights and not add further useless gun regulation when we are already failing to use the regulations we have. We have a mental health problem in this country that needs to be addressed in order to keep our children safe.
Regulations and outrageous tax burdens are kicking business and well paying jobs out of the state. We need legislators who know how an economy grows and who let entrepreneurs and small business create jobs and innovation. This will raise the standard of living for everyone.
I am absolutely opposed to the High Speed Rail project. It’s costing more than we were promised and would tear up perfectly good farmland in our district. We need to focus that money on repairing our aging infrastructure, bettering our water transport methods, building water storage facilities, and repairing our roads and bridges. We don’t need another wasteful project that will drag us deeper into debt.